


Five Times River Thinks Jayne Isn't the Man for Her (And Five Times She Knows He Is)

by toxic_corn



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-14
Updated: 2006-09-14
Packaged: 2018-11-07 13:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11060343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxic_corn/pseuds/toxic_corn
Summary: River has her doubts occasionally.





	Five Times River Thinks Jayne Isn't the Man for Her (And Five Times She Knows He Is)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for mystic_notions.

1\. Slightly Snobby

 

“So then I felt that any superfluous motion would upset the balance and I – You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

 

Jayne jerked guiltily. “I’m listenin’!”

 

“You’re the one who asked about my day,” River said, struggling to keep her voice from sounding angry. “I didn’t mean to bore you.”

 

He glanced away from her sheepishly. “Well, it’s hard to follow when you use all them fancy words.”

 

River opened her mouth but closed it again. How could she argue with him? She knew going into this relationship that Jayne wasn’t her intellectual equal. It never seemed to matter before but now… Why was she even with this man?

 

During her dejected ponderings, Jayne had gotten defensive, muttering to himself. “Got no need for all them big words. Only one word that means a gorramn thing to me, anyway.”

 

“What would that be?” River asked. Food? Trim? Vera?

 

Jayne looked startled that she’d heard him and hesitated before answering. “River.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“No, that’s it. I only need to know River.”

 

His honest response brought tears of shame to her eyes. “Jayne, will you promise me something?”

 

“Yeah,” he said without having to stop and think about it, further twisting her heart.

 

“Don’t ever change.”

 

 

2\. Yes, Jayne, It’s the Bubbles

 

They’d only been on this dusty moon ten minutes and Jayne had already cornered a whore.

 

Everyone at the table kept glancing at River, wondering when she was going to act. They seemed puzzled as to why she wasn’t over there, ripping the brazen hussy’s bleached blonde hair out by the roots. And normally, she would be doing just that. Her man attracted a lot of attention and it wouldn’t be the first time she had to fight to stake her claim.

 

But he’d been the one to initiate contact with the whore, not the other way around. That changed things.

 

River stared down into her drink, blinking rapidly when her vision started to blur. It all seemed so childish now. As if she and Jayne were going to last for all time, living happily ever after on Serenity. It had only been a matter of time before he got bored of her and she’d been a fool to think this day would never come.

 

She was shocked by how much it hurt, though. Couldn’t he have at least had the decency to break up with her before finding someone else?

 

“Babydoll! Finish yer drink ‘n let’s go!”

 

Startled, River looked up into Jayne’s beaming face, unsure that she’d heard him correctly. “What?”

 

“Come on! I was talkin’ t’ Cheyenne over there and she’s lettin’ us use one o’ the rooms upstairs for tonight!” He bounced on the balls of his feet. “They got real hot tubs and everything.”

 

River shuddered in relief and wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing tightly. “That sounds wonderful.”

 

Pleased, Jayne stroked her hair. “Wow, you must really like them bubbles, huh?”

 

 

3\. Throwing in the Towel

 

After so long, River was finally ready to give up: Jayne was never going to notice her. She could dress herself up fancy and drop hints left and right and get as much alone time with him as she could and he wasn’t going to see her as anything but the doctor’s not-as-crazy-as-she-used-to-be sister.

 

She headed to her room for a quick nap, deciding that the next time a nice gentleman tried to buy her a drink, she’d take him up on his offer for once. It seemed silly to reject a man on the hope that a blind man would no-

 

“Ahhh!” she cried out in surprise, jumping back a few steps.

 

Jayne jumped as well, dropping the flower and folded paper he’d been holding onto the floor. “Jesus! Why ya gotta go screamin’ in a little space, girl?!”

 

“What are you doing in my room?” River countered, trying to calm herself down. 

 

“I was just, uh…” He bent and scooped up the articles he dropped, shoving them behind his back. “Nothin’. I was leavin’.”

 

“What are you hiding?” River asked.

 

“Nothin’!” Jayne insisted and tried to edge by her.

 

Like a flash, River snatched the paper out of his hand and unfolded it.

 

“Give it!” Jayne snapped and made a grab for it. But she hopped away so she was standing on the bed, holding him off with one of her long dancer’s legs.

 

“Dear River,” she read aloud. “Please do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight. Love Jayne.” She stared at it a long moment and let her foot drop so Jayne reached over and grabbed it belatedly. “Is this a joke?”

 

Jayne turned red. “’parrently.”

 

“I thought you didn’t like me,” River said, trying to figure out what was going on here. “You’ve never seemed to notice me before.”

 

Jayne realized she wasn’t screaming at him or laughing at him so he relaxed a little. “Oh, I’ve noticed ya.”

 

She ducked her head for a moment to hide her pleased smile and then peeked up at him through strands of her hair. “You’ve never said anything.”

 

“Yeah, well.” Jayne rubbed at the back of his neck. “You started dressin’ up all fine so’s it looked like you were aimin’ higher than sumbitches like me.”

 

River found she couldn’t respond for a moment. Her heart was pounding so hard she wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone up on the bridge could hear it. “What… what made you try asking me anyway?”

 

He made a face. “Yer brother had a talk with me.”

 

“ _Wo de ma_ ,” River said, pressing her palm to her face. “What did he say??”

 

“That’s ‘tween him and me,” Jayne said. He unfolded his note and looked at it while he gruffly asked, “So you wanna have dinner with me tonight or not?”

 

“I do,” River said, softly.

 

Jayne’s tightened features relaxed. “All right. Guess I’ll just… meet ya in the bay when it’s time to eat.”

 

River nodded. “That sounds nice.”

 

He shuffled off to leave but then stopped and handed her the red rose clenched in his fist. “Almost forgot. This is for you.”

 

Smiling, she accepted it and breathed in its gorgeous scent. “It’s lovely, Jayne. Thank you.”

 

“Yeah.” He gave her a half smile and then left before he could make a fool of himself.

 

With a squeal, River threw herself onto the bed and sniffed the rose again before beating her heels excitedly against the mattress. She had the best big brother in the ‘verse.

 

But they were still going to have a long talk.

 

Note: I just couldn't let [ But You Don't See Me](http://toxic-corn.livejournal.com/21619.html#cutid3) end as such a sad fic so this here was the follow up. That's right, I am a sap for happy endings, why do you ask?

 

4\. Let Go

 

River sifted through all the old captures with a sad smile on her face. She and Kenny at the carnival, Kenny at the helm while she sat in his lap, the two of them asleep on the couch in the common room. She dropped them into the box, along with some of the gifts he’d given her over the years and a few of his belongings she’d kept when they’d gotten the news last year. The thought still made her heart hurt. Kenny had been her first everything and to have that taken away…

 

She had Jayne now but sometimes it felt like she was using the big man as a replacement. He could surprise her with how gentle he could really be, but he didn’t have Kenny’s sensitivity, that understanding she’d had with him which meant she didn’t need to go to great lengths to explain herself like she felt she had to do with Jayne. He tried and she loved him for it but…

 

“What’re ya doin’?” The man in question stood in the doorway, watching her carefully.

 

“I was just putting these things away,” River said softly. She opened her closet door and shoved the box into the far corner of the closet. Before she could shut it again, Jayne had come in and halted her movement.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Just… some old things.” She wished he’d just let this drop.

 

“Kenny’s stuff?”

 

River pursed her lips before answering. “Yes.”

 

“Why the hell didja just jam it all in the back like that? Jesus woman, show some respect.”

 

To say she was surprised would be a gross understatement. “What?”

 

“The boy was your first love,” Jayne said, opening the closet door fully. “I know ya care about me ‘n all but yer still in love with him.” He grabbed the box and moved it closer to the front of the closet. “He’s in yer thoughts so he should go closer to the front here. So you don’t forget him trying to make me happy.”

 

River stared at him for a long moment, wondering how she could’ve grossly misjudged him. “Jayne?”

 

“Yeah.” He stared down at the box of Kenny artifacts.

 

She linked her fingers with his and gently nudged the box back into the corner of the closet. “I’m not going to forget him,” she said softly. “But I do need to make room for somebody else.”

 

Jayne hazarded a glance at her and seemed staggered by all the love shining in her face. 

 

“I’m sorry I’ve made you feel second to a dead man,” she said. “Can you forgive me?”

 

“Ain’t nothin’ to-” But he saw that she really needed him to take this seriously and said, “Yeah, I forgive ya.”

 

River launched herself into his arms and kissed his cheek. He wasn’t Kenny. But he was Jayne. And that was so much better.

 

 

5\. Domestic Troubles?

 

“I stay here all day looking after your progeny!” River said in a stage whisper, not wanting to scare the children.

 

“It’s not like yer all alone, you got Ma to help ya!” Jayne’s tone was just as hushed and just as angry as her own.

 

“She can’t be here all the time! Not only do I raise your children, I keep this house from falling apart, keep my medication straight so I don’t terrify Nettie _again_ by having an episode, and I volunteer at the school when they need me! I don’t have time to make sure your supper is on the table whenever you decide to breeze back home!”

 

Jayne stared at her in stunned surprise. “ _Breeze back home_? Woman, that ain’t fair ‘n you know it! We both agreed that me workin’ out in the black made more money and was safer than workin’ in the mines here! Wouldja rather I went down in those holes ‘n worked until I got damplung like Mattie ‘n came home tired everyday, too tired for playing with the kids or to love you right?!”

 

“At least you’d be home.” River ran from the room and shut herself up into their bedroom.

 

She and Jayne had never argued like that before and it seemed that they were about due for one. It looked like they’d both been sitting on a lot that was bothering them. She sighed and dropped to the bed, rubbing tiredly at her eyes.

 

Maybe getting married had been a mistake. This whole arrangement was so tiring and heartbreaking, getting used to having Jayne home and having him leave so soon again. She might just cut her losses and ask for a divorce if it weren’t for the children. And if she didn’t love Jayne so much that it hurt.

 

The door opened and tiny footsteps pattered over to the bed. “Mommy?”

 

Their youngest, little Nettie, looked at her with Jayne’s eyes. She clambered onto the bed next to River and curled up with her head on Jayne’s pillow.

 

“My Nettie,” River said, reaching out a hand to gently tweak one of her daughter’s dark braids.

 

“You made Daddy sad,” Nettie said, not quite accusingly. “He thinks you don’t love him anymore.”

 

River frowned. “Did he tell you that?” Manipulating her through the children didn’t sound like something he’d do but…

 

“No,” Nettie said, relieving her of her worry. “I can just tell by looking at him that you made him sad. He’s trying to act like he’s okay but we’re not dumb.”

 

She knew that behavior well, had seen it before, and it never failed to break her heart. “Oh, dear,” she sighed.

 

Nettie was yanking at the covers so she could slip under them. “Uh huh. You should go tell ‘im you’re sorry. You always tell me an’ Jamey you shouldn’t go ta bed angry.”

 

“That’s right, I do always say that. I guess I’d better take my own advice then.”

 

“Guess you’d better.” Nettie’s voice was muffled from where she’d ducked her head under the covers.

 

River found Jayne in the kitchen stirring something in a bowl while their son Jamey stood on a chair nearby, stuffing bread into the toaster.

 

“Ma, we’re havin’ breakfast for dinner,” Jamey said, beaming proudly. “Pop says Cobb men hafta help their women when they can so me ‘n him are makin’ dinner for ya.”

 

“That sounds delicious,” River said, not taking her eyes from Jayne. “Jamey, I think you left your bike in the driveway, could you go put it in the shed before it gets stolen again?”

 

Jamey looked doubtfully at the toaster before seeming to decide that the bread would heat up fine without his supervision. “’Kay.” He ran from the room at top speed and slammed the front door behind him.

 

“I’m sorry,” River said. “I miss you when you’re gone and I just…”

 

Jayne set the bowl on the table and pulled her into his arms, setting his chin on her head. “Naw, it’s okay. I’m sorry for harpin’ at you about dinner when you already do everything around here. It wouldn’t kill me to help out when I can I s’pose.”

 

“Can I get that in writing?” River teased.

 

He tickled her side until she giggled and begged for mercy. Then he released her and gave her a swat on the butt that turned into an affectionate caress.

 

“Go lay down for awhile,” Jayne said. “I’ll bring you dinner when it’s ready.”

 

“Bring Nettie’s too,” River said. She blew him a kiss and went back to the bedroom, where Nettie made a tiny lump in the center of the bed.

 

“Move over,” River ordered her and poked the Nettie lump so it giggled and scooched over to make room. “Daddy’s making dinner.”

 

“It’s eggs, huh?”

 

“Yes, how did you know?”

 

“It’s the only thing he knows how to make.”

 

They both giggled and cuddled under the covers waiting for their breakfast-dinner in bed.

END


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